Written by BNN.ca

Canada's largest telecommunications company, BCE, Inc. (NYSE: BCE ), reported a better-than-expected first quarter profit on Wednesday, driven by an increase in net postpaid subscribers.

BCE, Inc., popularly known as Bell noted that,

• it added 35,728 postpaid customers on a net basis in the first quarter, more than the 30,000 additions that analysts at Cannacord Genuity had expected.
  • Rogers Communications Inc. (RCIb.TO), against whom BCE competes in wireless as well as for television and internet customers, added 60,000 net postpaid wireless subscribers in the first quarter.
  • The third major national wireless player, Telus Corp (T.TO), is due to report earnings on May 11.
• it added 22,402 customers in its Fibe TV business and
• it added 14,989 customers in its high-speed internet segment but
• lost 38,065 satellite TV customers during the quarter.
• Net income attributable to the company's shareholders fell 4% to $679 million, or 78 cents per share, hurt by costs related to its acquisition of Manitoba Telecom Services.
• it earned 87 Canadian cents per share, excluding one-time items, beating the average analyst estimate of 83 Canadian cents.
• operating revenue rose 2.2% to $5.38 billion.
• it's postpaid customers paid $65.66 a month in the quarter ended March 31, up 4.2% from a year earlier.

BNN is a division of Bell Media, which is owned by BCE.